A recent study challenges the idea that obesity causes early puberty, showing instead that diet plays a significant role in the timing of menstruation. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center studied over 7,500 children aged 9 to 14 in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) and found that a healthy diet is linked to a later onset of menstruation, regardless of body mass index (BMI) or height.
The study, published in Human Reproduction, revealed that children who ate a healthier diet were less likely to experience early menstruation. The researchers used the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), which scores diets based on the consumption of vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and the Empirical Dietary Inflammatory Pattern (EDIP), which assesses diets for inflammation-causing foods like red meat and refined grains.
Among the girls studied, those with the healthiest AHEI scores were 8% less likely to have their period in the next month compared to those with the lowest scores. On the other hand, girls with higher EDIP scores, indicating more inflammatory diets, were 15% more likely to start their periods sooner.
The findings highlight the importance of providing children and adolescents with healthy meal options, especially through school-based programs, to help delay early puberty and reduce risks for diseases like diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular conditions later in life. This study shows that health and positive outcomes are possible, regardless of size.
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